Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Dish PVR v. TiVo v. Antenna

Does your cable company offer internet services? Sometimes they can bundle that with digital cable to reduce costs. Then you can dump the DSL line.

Yeah - I've got Comcast digital here in D.C., with HBO and the PVR (Like generic TiVo) service, bundled with a cable connection for the internet. I save about $10 a month. But my cable/internet bill is $140!!!! I won't live without either, though, and monopolies are a b!tch, huh?

Yes, I could get Comcast cable broadband, but it would only save me about $4/mo over my current setup (Qwerst DSL and dslnorthwest ISP). For that small level of savings, I prefer to diversify my patronage.

Bumping my own thread because I need more focused advice. Help, again, please.

I ran phone and Cat5 to the living room. I'm ready to pull the trigger on DirecTivo.

Does anybody have experience or hearsay about either American Satellite or Rapid Satellite? They seem a bit cheaper than ordering directly from DirecTV.

I want to see Directv in three rooms - Living Room (main), Master Bedroom, and kids play room (both upstairs, and connected to the current Comcast analog cable).

Now, the confusing part. I want to be able to access Tivo features in both the Living Room and the never-to-be-networked-because-I-can't-run-cable-there master bedroom.

Options:
1. Get two DirecTivo boxes. This seems like the logical choice, because then I'd get more hourly capacity and it does not cost more monthly. But, even if I get a triple-LNB dish, are there technical constraints?
2. Somehow get output from the main Tivo to the bedroom. Heaven help me.

I don't do HDTV at all yet. The only other place where there is Cat5 is in the family room (a place where we will not be watching TV). I don't want to run more cable myself if I can help it. I just want "the guy" to do the "virtually free installation" and be done with it. Except for that swearing part when I'm trying to program the remote, again.

This thread has degenerated into me talking to myself. In public. Great.

Update: DirecTivo installed yesterday - two Tivo boxes, one regular DTV receiver. Bliss.

Sweet. So you can record 4 shows at one time? Geez...

My guess is you'll never, or at most rarely, use the regular receiver. After Tivo, live TV is difficult to watch.

Congrats!

2 tivos? Wow, i'm jealous. Though I'm waiting for my order on my HD Tivo. I'm 3rd on the Magnolia wait list...

In reply to:

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This thread has degenerated into me talking to myself. In public. Great.

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LOL! Just console yourself by telling yourself you're talking to the only intelligent person in the place.

No, Jack, you're wrong. The reason why I hang out here is that the people ARE smart, kind and funny. Which beats the crap out of stupid, mean and humorless. But let's not talk about my family

I'd have to do some serious Season Ticket management to record four things at once, but yes, it is technically possible. I hadn't even thought of that until Ken brought it up. The "regular" box is in the room where the kids' computer and the treadmill (and all sorts of other flotsam and jetsam) reside. It won't get heavy use.

I'm afraid (literally) that I might have to buy a second MX-700 (or something) for the bedroom now. The Tivo remote won't control the sleep timer on the TV, and well, there's the stereo and the DVD player to consider...

Every time I try to get out, the pull me back in!

I got a fair deal and a good install by (finally) finding a local company to deal with. I like the digital audio channels on Directv. The salesboy at Comcast was not sufficiently smart or gracious when I called to cancel. It harshed my mellow.

Thanks for chiming in, guys. I feel better now